YOURSAY 'Forget about the special committee. Just remove the top two and appoint Ambiga instead if Umno-BN is sincere in wanting real reform.'

Ambiga: PM's panel not okay, EC heads must go

your say Anonymous #02382443: What a shame for a person whose appointment is provided under the constitution with all the trimmings to enable him to act independently.

If he has betrayed the people, whether it is perceived or a matter of fact, he must have the courage and be morally right by resigning.

This brings to mind those who were following the live announcement of the results on election day. I don't know how many saw the expression of content and relish on the face of the Election Commission head just before he announced that BN has been returned with a simple majority.

As an independent officer constitutionally appointed, he must carry himself with due decorum, without emotions and be solemn, just like a judge, in all declaration, announcement or proclamation. I wish I have the video recording to replay it here for all to see what I mean.

Kim Quek: In Thailand, our election commissioners would have been convicted and jailed , as it occurred in 2006, when the entire national election in Thailand was annulled by the court.

The problem with BN is that it has no political will to do any reform, least of all, electoral reform.

2zzzxxx: We do not need anyone "overseeing" the new EC. It must be independent of all political parties, especially Umno.

Before we can do that, the present EC must go and all its members must be sacked. If that cannot be done, you leave the rakyat with no choice but to gather by the thousands.

Anonymous_5fb: S Ambiga, let's go for another Bersih rally to ensure these two commissioners in the EC resign once and for all.

Hajile Leumas: First things first. The EC top management team must be removed as recommended by Bersih's S Ambiga.

Secondly, the EC must be made accountable to the Parliament and not to the prime minister or to any political party.

Thirdly, the appointment of the EC management team must be recommended or proposed by the various political parties and closed-door elections held within the Parliament to appoint them, not by the whims and fancy of the PM or any one political party.

Malaysian Born: Look, the whole point of the EC is to have a commission that is powerful, credible and entirely independent of politicians and Parliament to manage and administer the country's elections.

The power was supposed to enable the commission to put even political leaders in their place. Their role was to be completely transparent and correct in all their dealings, to administer without fear or favour and ensure free and fair elections.

Their job is not supposed to be to facilitate any political party but to facilitate the expression of the people's opportunity to vote, so once the election process starts they become an authority unto themselves.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in Malaysia. The system we inherited has been modified through political manipulation, to the extent that they are nothing more than the ‘buttboys' of the ruling group.

Rakyat-in-grief: The EC is constitutionally independent and neutral body. But the present head and deputy do not seem to honour this clause in the constitution and act like they are part of the ruling government of the day, which is absolutely ridiculous and against the wishes of the people. This is the underlying cause of all problems we are facing today.

So, the first thing to do is to remove all the present senior officers and then try to have a committee with equal representation from BN, Pakatan Rakyat and selected NGOs to oversee the newly-appointed EC, which shouldn't have any affiliation with any political party.

Open Minded: Amibga has rightly said that this is just a change of shirt. These guys never learn. They think they are doing justice by making cosmetic changes.

Harapanbaru: If I were Najib Abdul Razak, I would realise being reappointed PM after GE13, even if mostly through massive cheating, is a heaven-sent reprieve - allowing me one last chance to redeem my otherwise lacklustre career in politics by serving as a bridge between the old and the new paradigms.

Therefore, I would reach out to Pakatan leaders and work with them sincerely to overhaul the machinery of governance before finally being forced to step down.

At least, in so doing, I would be judged far less harshly - and perhaps the public would be prepared to pardon me for all past misdeeds, including my involvement with kickbacks and the gruesome murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. This would be the only dignified manner to retire from politics.

Bluemountains: This special committee will just be another attempt to pull wool over our eyes. Unless the special committee is comprised of members solely from the opposition parties, the rakyat can be rest assured that everything will just be a whitewash.

We just had the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms prior to GE13 and almost all its recommendations were ignored by the EC.

Forget about the special committee. Just remove the top two and appoint Ambiga instead if Umno-BN is sincere in wanting real reform.

Ferdtan: This is like a football match between Manchester United and Manchester City, with the referee appointed by United.

MU won by foul means with the purported help from the referee and so the City fans got angry with such blatant deceits. Then MU supremo Alex Ferguson offered to appease the angry opposing fans by setting up a committee to oversee the biased referee, instead of sacking him.

Do you think this acceptable to the City fans? Yes, I am no MU fan.

Lawfool: EC heads have done a good job? At least they have successfully installed a government with only 47 percent of the voters supporting it.

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